Question : Soil Pollution

(a) whether soil pollution has increased all over the country in the last two decades;

(b) if so, the extent of the problem of soil pollution, State and Union territory-wise;

(c) whether the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences have estimated that 71 per cent of the country’s cultivated fields and croplands are moving towards conditions that would no longer support farming, if so, the details thereof and the extent of the problem, State and Union territory-wise; and

(d) the steps taken by the Government to overcome them and the progress made so far, State and Union Territory-wise?

THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
(SHRI RADHA MOHAN SINGH)



(a) to (d): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.




STATEMENT IN RESPECT OF PARTS (a) to (d) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 297 TO BE ANSWERED ON 01/01/2019 REGARDING
“SOIL POLLUTION”


(a) No systematic assessment of soil pollution is available in the country. However, as per harmonized database (NAAS 2010), nearly 120.4 million ha area of the country is subjected to land degradation.

(b) Doesn’t arise.

(c) Yes, Madam. About 71% of India’s cultivated fields or nearly 100 million ha of croplands are subjected to various forms of land degradation affecting farming. The extent of such land degradation, State and Union territory-wise is given in Annexure-I.

(d) The Government is undertaking soil and moisture conservation measures under Watershed Development Component (WDC) of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY). The State and Union Territory-wise progress is given in Annexure –II.

Similarly, the Government has launched Reclamation of Problem Soils (Alkali/Saline & Acid) as a sub Scheme of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) on Pilot basis during 2016-17 in 15 States, namely, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab and Tamil Nadu having higher extent of problem soils. The State and Union Territory-wise progress is given in Annexure –III.

Also, the Government has enacted The Environment (Protection) Act in 1986 (http://cpcb.nic.in/env-protection-act/) and the last amended in 1991 with the objective of providing for the protection and improvement of the environment including water, air and land.

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